FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (U.S. Army Installation
Management Command) — Soldiers and civilians got a taste of leadership
and customer service through Army combatives training at the U.S. Army
Installation Management Command (IMCOM) Garrison Leader’s Course Feb. 6.

Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter,
commander of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command,
teaches customer service to students of the Garrison Leader’s
Course. Ferriter used Army combatives to illustrate getting
involved with people. (Photo
by Neal Snyder)

The combatives training took the group out of the classroom and into
the gym as they learned the basics of the Army’s hand-to-hand combat
technique.

Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter, IMCOM commander, led the training and told
the group that the principles of combatives — “close the distance,”
“establish a dominant position” and “win”— apply equally well to
customer service and leadership.

Ferriter described the non competitive process as: “getting closer to
other people,” “establishing yourself in that relationship” and “winning
that person over.”

“This is all about customer service and inspired leadership,” he said.
“That needs to be our focus. Your rank was the symbol of servitude —
it’s not about authority.”

Ferriter compared IMCOM to corporations in America: Disney, USAA and
Chick-fil-a. He discussed their focus on customer- service training and
that he wants IMCOM to emulate that ethic.

The class was made up of Soldiers and civilians from senior positions
across the command and is taught at the IMCOM Academy here.